Ammon News - Meta, TikTok and Snap will be rated on their teen safety efforts amid rising concern about whether the world’s largest social media platforms are doing enough to protect the mental health of young people.

The Mental Health Coalition, a collective of organizations focused on destigmatizing mental health issues, said Tuesday that it is launching standards and a new rating system for online platforms. For the Safe Online Standards (S.O.S.) program, an independent panel of global experts will evaluate companies on parameters including safety rules, design, moderation and mental health resources.

TikTok, Snap and Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — will be the first companies to be graded. Discord, YouTube, Pinterest, Roblox and Twitch have also agreed to participate, the coalition said in a news release.

“These standards provide the public with a meaningful way to evaluate platform protections and hold companies accountable — and we look forward to more tech companies signing up for the assessments,” Antigone Davis, vice president and global head of safety at Meta, said in a statement.

TikTok and Snap executives also expressed their commitment to online safety.

Parents, lawmakers and advocacy groups have criticized online platforms for years over whether they’re protecting the safety of billions of users. Despite having rules around what content users aren’t allowed to post, they’ve grappled with moderating harmful content about self-harm, eating disorders, drugs and more.

Meanwhile, technology continues to play a bigger role in people’s lives.

The rise of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots has heightened mental health concerns as some teens are turning to technology for companionship.

Los Angeles Times